Inside The Perimeter

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Tuesday, February 28, 2006

The Only Day That Fat Is Okay

This being Fat Tuesday, of course.

Sync Has SunkYesterday I received a letter and returned check from Ziff-Davis Publishing alerting me that they have pulled the plug on Sync magazine. Sync was a mashup of Maxim and a tech magazine (no representative titles are coming to mind). Although the impact of this decision really only means that there will be one fewer unread magazine cluttering my house, I now don't know where I will be getting my "hip tech 411."

"ATL Bloggers Has Blown Up" or "When Aggregating Gets Aggravating"Most people are shocked when they find out that I don't syndicate this drivel to ATL Bloggers, you know those people who are responsible for a night out drinking about once a month. (btw- I do syndicate to LiveJournal at this address) As of this writing ATL Bloggers has fifty-four authors. Also as of this writing I will no longer be able to go over to that site to read blogs because there is too much going on over there. I need a filter for the aggregator, and that just seems silly to me.

While I am here, it frustrates me that aggregate is spelled A-G-G-R-E while aggravate is spelled A-G-G-R-A. I am doomed to poor spelling, and will happily shake the hands of those who assembled Dictionary.com and the DictionarySearch extension for Firefox.

Third. It Rhymes With TurdFor the final Monday trivia before my self-imposed hiatus Meet The Hashers finished a disappointing third. The questions seemed harder than normal, although one team was able to amass a perfect score for the first half. I can't say that I was much help last night. Either the questions were way out of my realm of expertise or blatantly obvious.

Go GatorsI'm back on The Apprentice bandwagon, and have picked my favorite to win. Introducing Allie...

(if no picture appears above it's because NBC is fucking with their website)

And in case you didn't watch the first episode [SPOILER ALERT] she was picked by Trump to be a Project Manager for the first week and her team won. Do I know how to pick them or what?

CD Pick Of The WeekWhy doesn't Fat Joe release a CD every Fat Tuesday? The marketing potential is huge, much like Fat Joe.

According to my source (Metacritic) there are only five new releases today. Of those, I have really only heard music from one of the bands, and it's another of those "US release, already out in UK" releases.

If you enjoy the music of Nine Black Alps I should remind you that they are playing in Atlanta at The Loft on March 25th as is noted in my newly-renamed section "WALK IN MY FOOTSTEPS" (sorry LJ readers, you don't get that section).

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - Fat (Tuesday)Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 26, playing Matt Pond PA -- "Several Arrows Later"Website Of The Day - Leo Laporte has started yet another internet tv show, this one is all about Macs and is called MacBreak.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Monday, February 27, 2006

Well That's No Way To Start The Week

On my first go at this Firefox crashed (seg faulted for all you Linux heads). Take Two.

InsideThePerimeter, Morphing To The OldiesThis site is loooong overdue for an update, with its look not its content of course. I know that I have threatened this sort of activity in the past, but this week you may notice some minor alterations. Nothing drastic. Yet.

TV Worth SkippingOver the last few weeks I've heard of a new British series called The IT Crowd (oddly pronounced "The it Crowd" and not "The I.T. Crowd") eventhough it is based around three people who work in an I.T. department. The show has gotten a lot of press because each episode can be viewed online.

Thanks to a rainy Saturday I finally had the time to view some of the episodes. Um, yeah. While it's far from the worst show ever to grace my screen, I really can't recommend it either. I've seen it all done before, better.

This Better Be The Best Fucking Flight EverI just booked travel to Durango, Colorado for the Colorado Invihashional in September. $470. I had hoped to use SkyMiles to make the trip, but as I think I mentioned last week our little Delta doesn't fly to Durango. I miss the "old days of flying" when you booked seven months in advance you'd get a decent fare.

Those of you who know me well shouldn't be surprised to read that my first goal when I touch down in Colorado will be to drink Fat Tire Ale, and my last will be to figure out how to bring some home with me.

Speaking of Fat Tire Ale, I have read that it is now available in Chicago. Maybe that's the impetus I need to make my first trip to the Windy City sometime this year. Delta flies there, right?

Ganging Up For One Last GoMeet The Hashers will be ganging up to punish all at Johnny's Pizza tonight. This will be the last time in awhile that the whole gang will be congregating. It seems as if Beth and Brenan have this thing called a 'baby' coming very soon, and I've gone a signed up for a photography class which is to be taught on Monday nights.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - Not bad, although both knees are starting to act up and I am still sleeping too muchCurrent Music - none, listening to Adam Curry's "Daily Source Code" podcastWebsite Of The Day - I'm thinking about getting in shape to really run again. Get Fit Atlanta looks like a decent opportunity to get in shape.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Friday, February 24, 2006

A Case Of Mistaken Identity

Stomp The Grape, Ascend Rocky MountainLast night I joined a small group for drinks and food after work.

Our first stop was The Grape (they have no website?), the new one across the street from the movie theaters in Atlantic Station. Back in the day (when I had the skills necessary to get women to go out on dates with me) I used to go to The Grape up in Vinings (OTP? Paulie? Yes, I was really trying to get "some" back then... it didn't work). Meet the new Grape, same as the old Grape. The place was filled with whatever today's classification for Yuppie is, they still have a menu which categorizes wine by number, the appetizers are still decent, and the $47 bottle of Syrah I ordered still tasted better than the $19 bottle of Syrah ordered by someone else at the table.

Once our veneer of class wore off we headed to an establishment in which we could be ourselves and hold our pint glasses without sticking out our pinkies, Rocky Mountain Pizza. At Rocky Mountain Pizza I dined on two glasses of Anchor Steam and many delicious hot wings from the pile of fifty that we ordered for the table. I believe the next time I need a wing fix I'll be heading over to Rocky Mountain Pizza. At Rocky Mountain I saw my friend Crissie leaving the bar and when I said hello she looked at me as if she had never seen me before. After a few seconds of processing, she recognized me. It was then I realized that she has never seen the bearded Paulie, and was thus appropriately confused by this strange guy saying hello. :)

To Show Or Not To Show, Yet Another QuestionI am contemplating buying a ticket to the Minus 5 show at Smith's Olde Bar on March 31st. While I would really like to see the show, as you can see from my calendar (try looking at COMBO #1, I dare you) I haev also committed to doing a fifty-mile ride in North Georgia the next day.

I Think JFK Has Gone AWOLI haven't seen my little feral friend JFK in a few weeks.

Given the fact that I have provided him food for the last two years I find it hard to believe that he decided that he wasn't happy hanging out in my backyard. I can only come to the conclusion that he has been adopted by someone else in the neighborhood, or has met his maker.

In what might seem as unusual emotion for me to emote, I really miss the little guy.

I Guess There Is Still Value In Aluminum?The person who raided my overstuffed recycling bin (believe it or not my third such bin since my Super Bowl party) must have felt like a kid on Christmas. When I arrived home the other day I noticed that the recycling team had not come to empty my bin, but rather someone had come and liberated all of the aluminum cans. Bully for them I say!

Big Birthday Shout Out!Today is my mom's birthday!

I called her this morning to wish her a Happy Birthday and she proceeded to confuse me with my brother. I had a feeling that this was going to happen since my brother is usually the "morning calling son" and I am usually the "evening calling son." This was confirmed when she told me to say hello to my brother's wife. I had a good chuckle out of the mishap.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - I am not sure. I am more than a bit disgusted, but perhaps things will get better as the day goes on.Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Belle & Sebastian -- "Another Sunny Day"Website Of The Day - I'll be spending some time this weekend reading the American Counces on Exercise's website.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Thinking Aloud

Playing The "If I Leave Now" GameThis week I have successfully been able to turn off my alarm clock and go back to sleep. I wish I didn't do this. When I finally wake up I find myself playing the "If I get up by X, then I can get out of the house by Y, so that hopefully I can get into the office by Z" game. I can't even blame the cold weather this week.

To Combine Or Not To Combine, That Is The QuestionIn the righthand galley I have two sections "STUPID PAULIE TRICKS" and "LISTENING SKILLS REQUIRED". At first LSR was created to keep track of shows I have interest in attending, SPT was created to highlight some of the nonsense that I introduce into my life.

I find myself constantly cross-referencing these lists and I am wondering if I should just have one section which is my complete schedule.

Do you think it makes more sense to keep them separated, or combine them? (yes, I understand that this is my blog, but consultation rarely hurts). I have created a temporary combined list cleverly named "COMBO #1", check it out and see what you think.

Have Passport Will TravelFive weeks after submitting my passport for renewal an updated passport is in my possession. Now if it wasn't so fucking expensive to travel...

My only planned trip for this year is one that requires no passport. Later this year I will be taking a trip for a hashing weekend to Durango, Colorado. In order to avoid a seven-hour car trip from Denver CO or a five-hour car trip from Albuquerque NM, I am looking to fly to Durango. Currently the best fare I can locate is $470 R/T. Ouch! I was going to try and use SkyMiles, but alas Delta doesn't fly to Durango.

Paying For Ricky Gervais?I am a big fan of Ricky Gervais. I've pimped two of his television series ("The Office", "Extras"), his website, and his podcast.

While have yet to hear the last in his series of podcasts, I have heard that for the second season of podcasts he (or probably more accurately, his company) has decided to go the subscription route. I say "Good Luck" to you, but I can't see myself paying for that content.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - just when I think that things can't get worse, I find out that I am probably wrong (don't ask)Current Music - none, listening to the MacCast podcastWebsite Of The Day - Those wacky people in Louisville are planning a new museum Pplaza. I think the architects who designed this building must have been smoking something funny with Shoobie one of his visits up there.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Exercise (b)Log - nothing, are you kidding? did you see that rain? what about my putting my bike on the trainer? yeah, I could have done that I guess.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Stuck On The Connector: I Want Revenge, No I Want More Sleep

Welcome to the first if a new series of articles that I will randomly throw onto Inside The Perimeter. These "Struck On The Connector" articles will be longer, more in-depth articles that will cover one topic -- usually a review of a CD, concert, restaurant, etc.

btw- Today's "normal" entry is below this and is called "Point And Shit!". Just in case you were wondering....

I Want Revenge, No I Want More SleepI made my first good decision last night to decide to walk to The EARL. Yes, I know I live close enough to always walk to The EARL, but when the weather is questionable I occasionally drive (oh, how Alpharetta of me). Knowing that a 9pm "doors open" at The EARL means a 9:45pm-10:00pm first band start, I left the house around 9:15pm.

The first thing I noticed upon entering The EARL's music room was the presence of 99x banners. "Ugh", was my first thought. "Am I going to have to suffer through an introduction from Barnes Toucher, Leslie, or Jimmy?" was my second. [paulie note: I was a dedicated 99x listener from 1995-2004, and moved away when I just couldn't stand their limited playlist and inane banter.] Luckily I was spared. Along with the banners I noticed the arrival of the hormone-driven, tattooed, smoking, sluttly-dressed, young girls with their equally body-modded emo boyfriends. When I am sixty and they are forty and complaining about their tattoos and lung disease I am going to smile and tell them all to go fuck themselves. But I digress...

During my trip to the bar to purchase my third Miller High Life I noticed that there were far more "older" people entering the room than I would have imagined. [paulie note: I am forty, so these people were probably younger than me but didn't look it, or were the parents of the aforementioned 99x kiddies.]

At that time I started playing one of my favorite games at The EARL called "I wonder if that guy is in one of tonight's bands."

Finally, the first band Rock Kills Kid, took the stage. They are a five-member band from Los Angeles who provided a seven-song set of decent, guitar and synthesizer driven rock. I wouldn't call their set "groundbreaking", but I enjoyed their sound and considering that they were the opening band I was rather impressed.

She Wants Revenge was next to take the stage. Given their current groundswell of popularity I was a little surprised that there wasn't a billing swap much like the one that occurred when the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah / Ambulance Ltd tour swung through The EARL last summer. I wanted to take a snapshot of SWR's playlist so that I could document it here, but couldn't get that close to the stage. Because SWR has only one CD out, it suffices to say that all songs they played were from it. SWR's sound was awesome, but never swerved far from that found on their CD. While I enjoy when bands prove that they can recreate the sound caught on their CDs, I also appreciate when they personalize the show for the crowd and take known songs in different directions. The four-man band seemed comfortable and tight on stage. They also looked like they were a bit warm from the heat generated from the small venue, large crowd and copious amounts of cigarettes being smoked. After playing a set appropriately long for a second act, She Wants Revenge the left the stage and at least half of the crowd left the building.

I considered an early jettison from The EARL myself (it was a school night), but while unloading my Miller High Lifes I heard this guy telling other guys just how much better Electric 6 would be, so I decided to stay.

At the start of E6's show I noticed how much fun their lead man, Dick Valentine, was having. This is always pleasing to me. At one point he even asked the crowd "Who came to see She Wants Revenge and are now seeing Electric 6?" From the involved reaction of the crowd during the songs played prior to this question being asked, I would have to say "not many of those left in the room." Because I was completely clueless about E6 prior to this show, and was obviously in the minority amongst this crowd, I had flashbacks to when I saw Lucero last year at The EARL. [paulie note: at least I had heard two of Lucero's songs prior to seeing them in concert.] As much as I wanted to enjoy E6's fist pumping, party-style, rock and roll, I could only last for four songs before I considered it to be "late" (12:05am) and determined that it was time for me to walk home.

Point And Shit!

Project Restore Almost CompleteI have Ye Olde Media PC back up and running (psst- I am typing on it right now). While it is far from perfect, it is finally servicable.

To make the update clean I backed up my old iTunes library (the 160kbps stuff) and started anew with the my fresh, ear-pleasing 192kbps collection. Sure, I lost some of those cds that weren't officially in my possession (read "p!rated"), but I have a cleaner conscience and can use my iPod as an inventory device when I am in a record store.

[side note 1: I thought that I owned The Replacements' "Tim" because it was in my iPod and passed on buying it when I was in Clemson. Had I known that it wasn't in my permanent collection I would have snatched it up.]

[side note 2: After I threw down the gauntlet at the RIAA yesterday I plan to keep my nose clean until at least the weekend.]

Who Was At The Sold Out She Wants Revenge Show?I WAS! Here are some (more dark) pictures to prove it. (Click any of those to take you to more, and more will be added when time permits)

Yeah, my pictures are one again too fucking dark. This is crazy! I was three people deep (and behind some dude with a nearly-shaven head as many of my pictures prove) and my flash fired on every shot. When I previewed these pictures on the lcd they all looked sufficiently bright. I just don't understand. I think it's time to learn some photoshop skills.

One other important lesson I learned last night was that even if it looks like I have plenty of battery life left, I always need to bring a backup battery. My battery died about twenty minutes into the She Wants Revenge set.

Who Let Their Dog Out?I'm no Super Sleuth but me thinks that someone's dog got out into the neighborhood the other day. This is a picture I took in my carport before going out Monday.

Of Course, If They Had A Triple Roll...In yesterday's blog entry I bitched about the size of toilet paper rolls. Then yesterday afternoon I read this

MOSS BLUFF, Fla. — A man accused of fatally beating his roommate with a sledgehammer and a claw hammer because there was no toilet paper in their home has been arrested.

Franklin Paul Crow, 56, was charged Monday with homicide in the death of Kenneth Matthews, 58, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Capt. Thomas Bibb said Crow initially denied his involvement, but confessed during questioning.

Crow told investigators that the men were fighting about the toilet paper over the weekend when Matthews pulled out a rifle. Crow said he then began beating Matthews with the sledgehammer and claw hammer, according to an affidavit.

Matthews was beaten so badly he had to be identified through his fingerprints, detectives said.

Crow was being held at the Marion County jail without bond. It was not immediately known whether he had an attorney.

Perhaps if they were buying triple-sized rolls Kenneth Matthews would be alive today. Then again, somebody would have probably been killed for using the last of the toothpaste, or drinking the last of the milk.

Grasping At Drinking StrawsYesterday I received my City of Atlanta Water and Sewage bill. With every bill there is also a little newsletter with pertainent information and relatively asburd information on it.

This being "Black History Month" (now why wasn't that changed to "African-American History Month"?) there is a section titled "African-American Water Pioneers." Water Pioneers?

The brain trust at Newsletter Central really put in some overtime for this segment. The best of the entries was as follows

African-American brick masons built many of Atlanta's 100-year-old sewers.

That's the sort of shit I would have written in a book report when I was seven years old (pretty close to the time said masons were laying brick, okay not really). Was this supposed to honor them for being able to build a sewer system that could last 100 years? Shouldn't all other ethnicities feel slighted for not being mentioned as part of the people who built our 100-year-old sewer?

Shame on you City of Atlanta Watershed Mangagement Department for coming up with such a lame "honor." You should have ditched this "obtuse factoid" and given us three more lines about the real African-American Water Pioneer who you mentioned in the newsletter, Dr. Victor Ibeanusi.

As A Matter Of Fact, I Do Have ClassIt's a digital photography course starting March 6th at Showcase. Specifically, I have signed up for the class Digital 101 because I have figured out that I will never find time to read the manual and therefore need to have something to force me into learning how to take better pictures. The first couple of classes may bore me, but at this point I think that I should start at square one.

The only downside of my decision is that the class I signed up for is taught on Monday nights so I will have to take a hiatus from Monday night trivia. Oh well, it's not like I couldn't play trivia any other night of the week.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - self-righteousCurrent Music - none, listening to Adam Curry's "Daily Source Code" podcastWebsite Of The Day - Hopefully someday I will be able to take photographs that are as cool as those shown at Daily Dose of Imagery.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Exercise (b)Log - nothing, not enough time between work, dinner, and concert.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Datable And Debatable

Welcome back to the office (assuming you were out yesterday, of course). Go grab a tall cup of coffee and relax. I've got a lot of stuff flowing through this active mind of mine. As promised last week, it's going to be a great (short) week of blogging.

Seriously Seeking AdviceI am facing a life alone and not happy about this. Most people's response would be "Well, you need to ask women out", to which I would reply "Thanks Einstein, why didn't I think of that?"

Here's my dilemma. While I see many women who I consider to be attractive (we'll stick with the population not wearing diamonds, not in the presence of a partner, and at least to my eyes in an age range that I consider to be datable), I have no idea how to meet these women. My problem is that I get no positive feedback when I try to make eye contact, no return "come hither" glance, no smile, and overall no sense that they are thinking "Hey, he's looking at me and I sure would like to meet him." Further muddying my waters is that I am not a salesman and have never possessed skills in the art of "small talk" and cold-calling.

I am at a complete loss. Before you tell me that I need a dog, please stop. Oh and if you tell me that women like "confidence", it's like telling me that employers like "experience." You see in order to gain confidence, you must have success, so it I need success to gain confidence then I am completely fucked in all the wrong ways. Otherwise suitable advice, stern scoldings for being a pussy, and whatnot are welcome either through comments or email.

And Further, This Too Proved It Was Not To Be My DayI went to Target for four items, two of which were not in stock.

A quick word to the toilet paper producer's of the world. Stop making the fucking rolls bigger! It's bad enough that I can no longer find packages containing fewer than eight rolls, but your goddamn triple size roll will simply not fit into my 1957 toilet paper dispenser. I know that Americans fifty years ago had much smaller asses (on average), but I don't need a roll of toilet paper that will disintegrate before I have the opportunity to finish dispensing it.

The two items I sought but could not buy were a label maker (I like neatly-printed labels -- sometimes I'm a little too anal retentive for my own good) and the new Cat Power cd, "The Greatest."

What I found out while in the store was that the label maker had been on sale last week (for 2/3rds of its original price) so it was sold out, and the Cat Power cd was currently on sale for $9, so it too was sold out.

If You Price It Right, They Will BuyWhile scouring the shelves for the Cat Power cd, because sometimes they get mis-shelved or hidden by people so that they can be purchased later, I saw this endcap.

Apparently, if you price new cds reasonably, let's say $8.99, people will buy the cd instead of downloading it or stealing it. Your rebuttal RIAA?

And Of Course It's TuesdayWouldn't want to skip a weekly feature, would I?

This week there are a couple of different suggestions I could make.

You say you want to be on the cutting edge of this year's Greatest Band of All-Time (so says many of the critics)? You obviously need to rush out and purchase the Arctic Monkeys' "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not". Even the title screams "edgy."

You say you want to dig deeper into a band that has released but one cd to date? Well, my friend you obviously want to invest your music dollars into Maximo Park's "Missing Songs". I own Maximo Park's other cd and while I enjoy it, I can't see myself buying this one.

None of those working for you? Want to see the one cd that I will be buying? Okay, I'll probably also buy the Arctic Monkeys, but I digress. I'll be buying Ray Davies' cd "Other People's Lives". Kidding! I will be buying Elbow's "Leaders Of The Free World". Btw- This is yet another release which is already out in the UK. When will these staggered releases end? And further, according to Elbow's website this cd may have already been release in the US on February 3rd; either they are wrong or Metacritic is wrong. I guess pointing fingers as to whose information was wrong is a moot point and not really worth debating.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - confusedCurrent Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26, playing Clap Your Hands Say Yeah -- "Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood"Website Of The Day - If you understand how Digg works, then you'll have no problem understanding how to use Video Bomb works. As the name suggests it's a site where you can finds videos that are "Da Bomb."

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Do They Get 1500 Free Hours Of AOL With These?On Friday I saw my first medal ceremony from this year's Winter Olympic Games (not interested in the Olympics any longer). My first reaction was "Why is that guy wearing one of those AOL cds around his neck?" and then I realized that it was one of these medals.

Butt. Fucking. Ugly.

On Sunday I sat down to finally catch some HD coverage on my tv, only to find out that NBC was showing the Daytona 500 at that time. Meh, who needs the Olympics.

Bloggers In Da HoodOn Friday night I met up with the APWBWGTTD at Graveyard Tavern. One big long table of happy drinkers, it was. I spent the majority of the evening talking to those in closest proximity, before splitting from the group late-night as they were heading to Mary's (I just wasn't in the mood to go to Mary's). Instead I ran into my hashing friends Chad and Larry who were there with others to throw darts. After one game of darts I was sufficiently drunk and headed home for the evening.

Stop Your Whining!For all of you who are kicking yourself for not getting a ticket for tomorrow night's She Wants Revenge show at The EARL, I'm here for you.

While scouring the local venues for upcoming shows, I have found that She Wants Revenge is scheduled to play The Loft on March 28th. Interested? Go buy tickets as soon as they become available. The Earl sold out, I would assume that The Loft will as well.

As always I am here to save your bacon. Mmmm baconnnnn.

The Three Rules Of Owning A Computer

Back Up

Back Up

Back Up

Now before you guess that I am ready to jump off a bridge because I've lost all of my data, fear not all is good. I am still in the process of getting my old desktop back to its former glory and am amazed how many programs I use, but never have kept the installers. Luckily the biggest of the "hard to find items", Free CD-DA Extractor v4.8, was finally located and installed successfully. And after scanning the drive to try and make sure that no spyware/adware joined it on my system, I cranked it up to rip my latest purchase the Modern Skirts' "Catalogue of Generous Men." A review of this release will follow later in the week.

Mama Didn't Raise No FoolAt least not a complete fool. I've learned the forty-degree weather and trudging through swamps and/or creeks do not make me a happy man. Instead, I took the road most travelled and skipped hashing this weekend.

I would have thought this would mean I would get more of my indoor activities done, you know, insulation, reading of camera books, cleaning, laundry, whatnot, but alas sleeping won out (again!) and the weekend became mostly unproductive.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - blehCurrent Music - Whatever Blues is playing in the coffee shop.Website Of The Day - PodBop looks pretty cool for hearing music coming to your town. I suggest you try it out.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

My name is Paul(ie) and I am a 486 month old single male who has yet to figure out the Meaning of Life (although I have seen the movie). I believe that I have proven that the Meaning of Life is not located at the bottom of a pint glass, but will keep looking there everytime a beer is placed in front of me.

I have been an East Atlanta resident for the past seven years (wow, how time flies) and therefore feel qualified to sign all of these posts as "Paulie [eatl/ga]".

I hash therefore I am. My hash name is Wee Little Bit, you may draw you own conclusions as to why I am named this.

I have a passion for good food, alternative music (especially live), and beer. I am trying to rekindle passions for computer programming and photography.

What's In A Name?On Monday night at Johnny's Pizza we had the following question

What is a female donkey called?

Being my normal smart-assed self I said a "Jane Ass" (although in hindsight a "Jill Ass" would be a better companion for a "Jack Ass"). It turns out that the correct answer is a "Jennet."

This started me wondering why we have different names for the male and female of some animal species.

It also reminded me of an old joke

Q: What do you call a female peacock?A: A peacunt.

Thank You! I'll be here all weekend...

When Will I Be Seeing Live Music Again?Well, if you are reading this via my non Award-Winning Website www.InsideThePerimeter.com then you can quickly look under "LISTENING SKILLS REQUIRED" and see that my next scheduled appearance is the She Wants Revenge (fuck, I just realized that I forgot to record Letterman last night!) show at The EARL on Tuesday night. [UPDATE @9:35am] This just in, that show has sold out. Don't cry to me, I warned you months ago!

I openly take suggestions for other shows. If you have an insider's tip, password, or pre-sale code for an upcoming show I am always willing to listen.

As for the rest of the weekend it's all up in the air. For the first time in years (and maybe ever) I have paid day off on Monday for Presidents' Day so I might actually be out Sunday night as well. Just call me crazy.

Why Have I Subjected You To This?Because I like you. Sorry, today I am feeling a bit uninspired and not very creative. I guarantee a far superior product starting next week or you subscription fees will be refunded. :D

If you have questions, or comments please either comment here or send me an email (you can find my preferred address over there under "HOLLA AT ME").

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - unispired. fat. tired. ready to party. wishing the weather was like yesterday.Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 26 playing Radiohead -- "Paranoid Android"Website Of The Day - Get all the information you've ever wanted to know about donkeys at The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Memories, Like The Corners Of My Mind

I'm Batman!A few years ago while working a trade show in Las Vegas I had the opportunity to meet the Real Batman, Adam West.

Having seen every episode of Batman as a child and being constantly amused by the odd places that Adam West's voice-overs appear, I was quite pleased to be able to get his autograph.

I had forgotten about having Adam West's autograph until I rediscovered the photo while cleaning my basement for my Super Bowl party.

I Can Rebuild It; I Can Make It Better Than It Was BeforeThe last few nights have been spent rebuilding my "media center" pc. I have owned this pc for four years (so it's really just a desktop pc) and had forgotten just how many programs I had loaded on it during that time period.

For instance...

In order to scan my photo of Adam West I needed to re-install my scanner. Well, that required me to download the drivers for the scanner from Canon. Canon provided installation directions for the driver in for form of a PDF. Since I had yet to reload a PDF reader onto the box I had to go to Adobe's website to download and install a reader.

It's going to be a slow process getting this pc back to 100% usefulness, but I just have to keep reminding myself that replacing the old hard drive in order to get a clean install of Windows is worth the pain.

Boy Meets Bar, Boy Sits At Bar, Boy Gets FatAt one point in my life I was a workout fanatic. I went years in which I exercised six days a week, sometimes twice in one day. My biggest fear back then was getting injured. Being injured this week reminds me why. Last night I entered George's with no hopes of getting in a run prior to drinking beer and eating dinner. To say I am dissatisfied with my life right now is an understatement.

Although Tonight I Will Eat, Drink And Be MerryThursday night dinner club is at Casa de Paulie tonight. Since we are nearing(?) Mardi Gras (which will not be nearly what it used to be thanks to Katrina) I have decided to make crockpot Jambalaya (which will not be nearly as good as my normal Jambalaya). "Why", you ask? "Time", I answer. I woke up early enough this morning to chop vegetables for a spiced up (because I accidentally added too much Cajun seasoning) version of my crockpot Jambalaya, in addition to a (crockpotted) spicy vegetarian black bean "chili" (in my book it is not real chili unless it has meat). Both dishes will be much better than "edible" and I will serve up enough red wine to ensure that.

btw- Anyone know who gets voted off on Survivor tonight? I'd sure like to load up some good music onto Stacy's iPod... :)

[UPDATE @ noon] I just heard that She Wants Revenge will perform on Letterman tonight. So if you are still on the fence on whether or not to catch their show next Tuesday at The EARL, give it a watch.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - late, and ready to go home alreadyCurrent Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 26 playing Sufjan Stevens -- "The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" (I know that refers to Superman, but it really is playing on Sirius right now)Website Of The Day - Did you know that Adam West has his own website? He does, and it can be found at www.AdamWest.com

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Short Of Time

This will be real brief today. Much like the people who waited until yesterday to buy their Valentine's cards from Target, I am short of time this morning. I have a four-hour training session in a few minutes. After that, I will attempt to catch up on the other work I have slated for today.

Introducing: Public Enemy #1Born just four days after I was, in a city (Manhattan) less than an hour's drive away from me, Jeremy Piven (pictured below) has become my new Public Enemy #1.

(picture changed because site hosting original picture was flaky)

Why the hate you ask? I think it has something to do that he is essentially the same exact age as me, is far better looking, successful, constantly considered to be one of the most fashionable men in Hollywood, he can play the drums and he's been in at least six movies with my former alter-ego John Cusack.

Discuss...

Just One More ThingHA! HA! I just opened the fortune cookie I got at lunch yesterday. It reads "Your happy heart brings joy and peace where there is none." Perhaps I should have read it before I wrote today's entry. :D

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - rushedCurrent Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 26 playing Franz Ferdinand -- "Michael" (although it would have been funnier if I had been listening to Pearl Jam's "Jeremy".)Website Of The Day - Now that I have taken up less time than I normally would, go waste that time over at YouTube watching videos. Do it soon while it's still "independent and cool" (read "before they get bought up by Viacom").

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

One Is The Loneliest Number

Fact: I have been alone seventeen of the last twenty Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day makes me feel like a Jew on Christmas.

However, This will not be a "poor pity me" entry. Fuck. That.

Seeing Red, Or Then Again NoI had intended on stopping into Joe's to get some morning coffee and to say hello to Ellen (a redhead). However, because of a 7am meeting I had to leave my house earlier than they would have been open.

No More Hidden Tracks!Yesterday I popped the new She Wants Revenge cd into my car's cd player. Because I still don't have my media pc 100% ready I decided not to wait until I ripped the cd to mp3 and play it through the iPod.

I enjoyed the disc thoroughly. Their music is mostly beat driven with a disctinct vocal (some may not consider it "singing"). It reminds me a bit of Depeche Mode with a smidgeon of old school Davie Bowie thrown in. I will admit that after a while the sound becomes a bit repetitive. What really pissed me off is the presence of multiple one-second blank tracks (I don't know how many exist yet, I popped the cd out after track fifty). Come on folks, if I wanted a minute-plus of silence I would turn down the volume; and this "clever" technique has been done at least twice -- Tool's "Undertow" and Nine Inch Nails' "Broken"). Stop it already!

So Close, Yet So Far AwayLast night's trivia was played at Johnny's Pizza again. After a few hits and near misses we were only one point out of first place going into the final question. While we managed to get the final question correctly the team ahead of us also did, so we finished in second place.

I Guess CDs Make Bad Valentine's Gifts?The three new releases listed on Metacritic's New Release List are all American releases of discs already available in the UK.

Today's selections are Babyshambles' "Down In Albion", Sing-Sing's "Sing Sing And I", and The Subways' self-titled release. Frankly, I may have heard one song from The Subways, but know nothing of the other two. In this instance, I say buy flowers and chocolates instead.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - like one hand clappingCurrent Music - none, listening to the "KFI the Tech Guy" podcastWebsite Of The Day - My friend Sarah sent me this link; be forewarned that it had audio. I t's a video produced by the Organic Consumers Association. Apparently those flowers and chocolates should be organically produced.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Monday, February 13, 2006

Parenthetically Yours

The Knights Who Say Knee (injury)You may have seen Saturday's post in which I stated that I was tired of it all and ready to rededicate myself to losing weight. Eventhough the weekend's temperatures were to get no higher than forty-five, that was no excuse for not going out for exercise.

On Saturday I went out and ran the Atlanta hash. On Sunday morning I woke up to feel a pain in my right knee. It was the same sort of knee pain that I felt six years ago after completing my first marathon, and the same pain that started the downward spiral of my running ability. Just to make sure that I wasn't being a hypochondriac, I went out for a run on Sunday to see how it would feel. Diagnosis: Iliotibial Band Syndrome, which means pain.

Dial 'L' For Lame (or 'S' for Sleep)One of the problems I have with hashing is the running and the drinking can often wipe me out. Saturday was no exception to this rule. I had planned (to the point of buying a ticket) to go to Eyedrum to see Andrew Bird. Unfortunately, when I put my head upon the couch pillow when I returned home from a long, cold day of hashing I fell asleep immediately. When I awoke at 9:15pm I knew that there was no way that I wanted to shower and then rush out the door (into the freezing cold) to attend the show. It was a difficult decision, but one I only struggled with for as long as it took me to move from the couch to my bed where I covered up for a long night's sleep.

I've noticed a dramatic increase in my sleeping lately. I keep blaming the cold weather because I am keeping the house cool and therefore more inclined to lay down to get under covers. Unlike a lot of people, I don't like sleeping; I think it is a waste of life (my two cents).

Mi Barrio (es su barrio?)At the conclusion of Sunday's run my friends Melissa, Betsy and I decided we needed some lunch and an a adult beverage (or two). Saturday night Betsy had eaten at a restaurant named Mi Barrio (Access Atlanta review) and was jonesin' for another fix. I was definitely up for it since I have intended to go there since it first opened (about two years ago).

Sunday's special at Mi Barrio is Menudo (no, not thatMenudo). Not being a fan of tripe (cow intestine) I decided to pass on the menudo and order the carne asada instead. The meat was served with corn tortillas (One of those plastic serving dishes with a lid was put on the table. Perhaps I ate Melissa's as well?) and a healthy serving of refried beans, yellow rice and a small salad topped with fresh avocado. Combining the meal with a couple of Negra Modelos and a supply of chips, salsa and sliced catcus, I could ask for no more (no mas?). I will certainly be returning soon myself.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - disturbedCurrent Music - none, listening to the Bands Under The Radar podcastWebsite Of The Day - Tax preparation time is upon us. Swing on over to the Library of Congress website and see how some of your hard-earned tax dollars are spent.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Saturday, February 11, 2006

D-Day

'D' Is For DietMan this sucks, today I am dedicating myself to lose weight. It is going to be painful, but in the end I will be happier.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - depressedCurrent Music - none, listening to growl of my empty stomachWebsite Of The Day - I don't have the strength to find one. :)

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Friday, February 10, 2006

Ketchin' Up

I'm Freezing, But Saving MoneyThanks to a willingness to freeze even more and a far milder January, my heating bill dropped eighty dollars (aka 1/5th of the price of the XBOX 360 I didn't buy). My bill is still too high for my liking, but any colder and I will be waking up with icicles hanging from my nose.

Cornbread, Earl And MeThat was the title of the first book that I read containing curse words, but it also is a relevant to my life today.

This morning I arrived to find a piece of cornbread on my desk left for me by one of my coworkers. I know that this person was not the culprit in last week's Great Cornbread Robbery, but I thought it was a nice gesture... and delicious.

Last night I was introduced to a show that I knew that I should have been watching all along. The show was My Name Is Earl. Sure, it's low-brow humor, but then again I like low-brow humor.

The Survivor game takes a twist. Last night we watched the four tribes become two, but I'm talking about my game. If you remember from last week, I lost a bet with my friend Stacy and I will have to put *NSYNC onto my iPod. She and I have decided to have a running bet every week. When we find out the tribe which will have to go to tribal council we each pick a person who we think will be ousted. If one of us is correct we get to pick music to put on to the other's iPod. Seriously, I'm really just doing this to improve her musical tastes.

Where Have All The Tree Huggers Gone?(no I am not referring to the fact that I have not been volunteering with Trees Atlanta like I used to)

Yesterday I drank a refreshing Atlanta-based carbonated beverage while I was up at Clemson University. When I was done I asked the girl working the desk where the recycling bin was, she smiled and said that they didn't have one. WTF? A college campus without a recycling program? I carried the can around for a few minutes and after not finding a recycling bin I gave up and put into a trash can. Holy shit times have changed.

At Least The Record Stores Haven't ChangedOnce my appointed tasks at the university were completed yesterday I sought out the local cd store. Black Dog Music was my target. Any music store that I enter and hear Neutral Milk Hotel playing on their speakers is alright by me. While I didn't find any used cds to my liking, I picked up a copy of the new She Wants Revenge disc, and was upsold to the limited edition dvd-included Belle & Sebastian release. That's right ladies, I am sensitive and willing to open the wallet to spend a few extra bucks...

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - since I've been out of the office and today is Friday it feels like a one-day work week for me!Current Music - none, listening to Adam Curry's "Daily Source Code" podcast from WednesdayWebsite Of The Day - Can't get enough of that weird news you say? Well, swing buy Drew Curtis' Fark and see what's cooking today.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Did You Miss Me?

I am busy up in Clemson, SC taking care of recruiting responsibilities.

Oh No I Didn'tThere are times I wish I could throw caution to the winds. While at a Best Buy in Anderson, SC I saw the following...

That's right, I saw an XBOX 360 in the wild. What's weird is that I passed on the opportunity to buy it. It's not that I have completely given up on buying toys, it's that I've recently purchased another toy that I have yet to publicize.

But What I Did BuyOne of the reasons I drove from Clemson to Anderson was to purchase a cable to connect my iPod to the auxiliary input port of the car stereo in my rental. I have yet to give it a shot, I'm saving it for the drive back to Atlanta.

American Grammy IdolI'm tired of singers that can't. The style of taking in a lyric all around the musical scale a la Maria Carey has really grown old. Some of the songs I heard on the Grammys were worse than some of those I've heard on American Idol.

Worth One Thousand WordsFinally, a picture of me that I actually like

This was taken prior to sending everyone off to run last Sunday's Black Sheep hash. You can read the evil in my eyes and smirk.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

No Rest For The Weary

With the Black Sheep trail and the Super Bowl party behind me I thought that this would be the week I would kick back and get some R&R. How wrong I was. There are too many personal details to explain, but suffice to say that these entries may be a bit sparse and disjointed (the first person to comment "But how will we be able to tell the difference?" will be smacked).

Now that I've lowered your expectations...

Media WhoringWhat can a person with too much time and a few bucks to burn produce?

Yes that's right, I've gone and had my own bumper stickers printed. I wonder if this is how William Randolph Hearst started?

In A Time Before ColorLast night's Meet The Hashers victory was not without confusion and controversy. We decided that a return to Johnny's Pizza for cheap eats was in order.

During the game the host screwed the pooch when his "expert" gave him a question that was oddly worded and then he proceeded to alter it. As written the question was "What was the last essentially black and white movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture?"; as read it was "What was the last exclusively black and white movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture?" We first lept to the obvious conclusion "Schindler's List", but wrote that off as incorrect when it was brought up that there were color sequences at the end. Our next best guess was "Raging Bull" (after intra-team controversy regarding whether "Paper Moon" was a black and white film, and if a sepia-toned film could be considered as black and white. If pistols had been present we might have a duel at ten paces). When the host read the answer as "Schindler's List" there was an eruption of disgust which probably reminded the guy that he should probably not have sought out a career in trivia hosting. After much consultation with his "expert" they agreed that the correct answer should be "The Apartment", an answer provided by no team.

Because of the betting scheme employed by The Trivia Factory no lead is really safe going into the final question. This sparked the second (and far more frequent) argument of how many points to wager on the final question. Last night's category was "The Super Bowl". I'm not sure how many points we wagered, I only knew that "Paul the Sports Guy" better come through or the team's loss would lay directly on his shoulders repeating the fate of men like Scott Norwood (look it up). Here was the question.

Name the starting Super Bowl quarterbacks for the following teams1995 San Francisco 49ers1987 New York Giants2000 St Louis Rams2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Answers below

CD Pick Of The WeekToday's CD Pick of the Week brings with it a valuable rule. Today I am picking "The Life Pursuit" from Belle & Sebastian.

The rule, is aptly named the "Belle & Sebastian Rule" (for men), and it reads as such... When trying to impress a woman it is good to have a Belle & Sebastian CD in your collection and to admit to her that you really enjoy listening to their gentle music. Amongst your guy friends you deny ever hearing of Belle & Sebastian and openly question why they are allowed to put out CDs.

I guess that this rule was not created soley for Belle & Sebastian, in fact Simon & Garfunkel quickly come to mind as well (maybe it's all bands with an ampersand in their name?). If you have any other bands which should follow this rule, please share.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - still worn outCurrent Music - listening to WRAS, aka "Album 88"Website Of The Day - Want your own bumper sticker? Go to MakeStickers.com.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Monday, February 06, 2006

Slovenly Yours

I'm using all of this "freezing rain" as an excuse to spend a few more hours on the couch, do the laundry that I didn't have time to do this weekend, and use my company's "flexible" work schedule to my advantage.

Where There Is Smoke There Are SmokersOne of the oddest things I heard this weekend was that apparently there was no smoking allowed at The EARL for the Alejandro Escovedo show last week. Not being in attendance I cannot confirm or deny this, but I find it odd because I always assume that The EARL has a two pack minimum policy.

As the cigarette-smoke filled clothes that I wore Saturday night could attest there was no shortage of tobacco for The Hold Steady show. I thought that The Hold Steady put on a really good show, and while at The EARL I picked up a copy of their latest CD. I'm not sure how long they can be popular with their Randy Newmanesque sound (I am not sure how Randy Newman gets away with it either), but for now it is a pleasurable listen.

The sound at The EARL seemed a lot better than a few weeks ago when I attempted to see Tiger! Tiger! However, that didn't stop numerous people around me from shouting at the top of their lungs so that they could talk during a concert. Maybe I'll take up smoking so that I can accidentally burn them when they start shouting at one another.

Sorry Mike's, You LoseI had an incredible turn out for the Super Bowl party. If you were on the invite list and chose not to come, your loss. If you didn't get an ivite, um sorry about that; there is always next year. This year I was smart(er) [than last year]. This year I enlisted the help of some good friends to cook and prepare the house while my ass finished the Black Sheep trail and took its place on the ice for trail trial. I was almost successful in ending the trail in my back yard, but there was already too much road on yesterday's trail, so the ending was near the house.

I have hosted Super Bowl parties at my house for the last seven years, therefore I have seen very little of any of the games and almost none of the commercials. But what really floors me about parties is how the crowd grows and shrinks. At one point I'll look around and there will be fifty people, and then what seems like five minutes later (probably closer to an hour later; remember I drink a lot because I don't have to drive home) there are half as many people still at the party. I know people party-hop on Super Bowl Sunday, or have to get up for work the next day, but the dynamics of parties intrigues me.

This year's "party malfunction" was the delayed arrival of the tap for the keg of Terrapin Rye Pale Ale. To satiate the thirsts of my guests prior to the tap's arrival I loaded up the coolers with a myriad of beers that have found their way to my refrigerator one way or another. Sadly for Mike's Hard Raspberry Lemonade, not a single one of the five placed into the coolers was consumed by the ravenously thirsty crowd. There's market research for you.

Why Isn't Today Presidents' Day?How cool would it be if today was Presidents' Day? My friend Tom came up with the brilliant idea that the Monday following the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. I fully support this idea and am wondering how we can get this implemented.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - worn outCurrent Music - none, silence if my friend right nowWebsite Of The Day - Go a little overboard yesterday? Go see some hangover remedies courtesy of Health 911.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Confessions Of An Internet Addict

Good Morning Campers! Yes, you are reading that right it's a Special Saturday Edition of Inside The Perimeter!!!

My title today is a wee little bit misleading. After last night I have determined that I am not really addicted to the internet, but rather dependent on it. At approximately 7:30pm last night I tried to check email, and lo and behold my link to the outer world was once again kaput. I checked everything internally with my network and all seemed fine. I decided to wait it out to see if it would magically return like it had earlier in the week (keep in mind, my ISP SnappyDSL has had very few technical problems in the three or so years that I have been a customer). All night long I felt detached from the world. I didn't want to spend time surfing the internet, I wanted the ability to surf the internet if I wanted to do so.

When all wasn't better this morning, I took action and called for technical support. I was a bit skeptical when I received a message saying that I would receive a call within the next four hours, but I had things to do, so I wasn't too put off. When the guy was able to get me back up and running all was made okay by me.

The only fear I have is the tech asked me if I had been switched over to the new login procedure. This sort of change scares me, so there may be more to this saga in the future.

Old Man Take A Look At My LifeIn addition to the internet problems, my impending hash and preperations for my Super Bowl party forced me to make a tough call and skip the Sovus Radio / A Fir-Ju Well show at Lenny's (btw check yesterday's posts if you want links to those). I was really looking forward to going, especially since I had found out that I know the father of Sovus Radio's guitar player.

Lance Rides Into The SunsetI really never knew what Lance Armstrong saw in Sheryl Crow. And now the only thing he'll be seeing is her back side as it has been announce that the two have called off plans to get married. Maigh, it's time to get your swerve on. Someone will have to console Lance, I think you are a great candidate.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - sleepy, been up since 5amCurrent Music - the cd that came with my new Paste magazine.Website Of The Day - sorry, none today because it's the weekend.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Friday, February 03, 2006

72 Hours Of Mayhem

My Black Sheep hash and the Super Bowl are this Sunday, and do I ever have a shitload of things to get done between now and then. I will be going at a frenetic pace normally only seen in laboratory rats.

Why I Shouldn't Dress In The DarkI just realized I am wearing a black belt with my brown pants and shoes. Well, at least I have a good excuse as to why I won't be getting laid today...

I Already Hate This Season Of SurvivorOh the show was fine, but the wine drove me to make a bet with my friend Stacy about which Spinster was going to get voted off last night. Somehow I managed to lose, so as my punishment I will be forced to download NSYNC to my iPod. Why Stacy has NSYNC on her new 2GB Nano still befuddles me. I have a feeling that this will be a weekly battle so at somepoint in time I should be able to improve her musical tastes.

If you haven’t driven down Peachtree Road through Buckhead Village lately, you might be surprised at how many bars are vacant and boarded up. The now seedy-looking buildings are plastered with “For Rent” and “Space Available” signs, a far cry from the days – and nights – as Atlanta’s foremost playground.

Now that the criminal element has been shown the door, the table must be set to invite new guests – restaurants and retailers who will restore Buckhead Village to its former luster.

I realize that the "criminal element" that the stuffed-shirts of Buckhead most likely refer to the crowd that inhabited Buckhead after my retirement, but I still take umbrage to associating the bars with all of the problems. Without the bars Buckhead is dead to me, besides I've got plenty of better options in East Atlanta, Va-Hi, Decatur, Oakhurst, etc, etc, etc.

The Return Of Live MusicIf I can find the time tonight I will at Lenny's Bar to see Sovus Radio and A Fir-Ju Well. It's been years since I've been to Lenny's. I still remember going there when I moved to Atlanta (when it was still called Dottie's) to see Buzz Hungry. At the time that area scared me to death, but was comforted that no one in their right mind was going to steal a 1988 Hyundai Excel.

Tomorrow night will definitely find me at The EARL for The Hold Steady show. I am sure that this will be fun, but I am also sure that it will be a very late night which is only going to make Sunday that much harder...

On Sunday, the Super Bowl turns 40 (hence Super Bowl XL). However, it just so happens that my good friend Dr. Doo Doo also turns forty on Sunday. Welcome to the Old Man Club, Doo Doo.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - frenziedCurrent Music - none, listening to the "KFI the Tech Guy" podcastWebsite Of The Day - There is a lot of weird news in this world. What better place than Weird News Today to find out about it. (thanks again to Randy for sending me the link)

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Paulie Gets Angry, Six More Weeks Of Winter

I thought about putting up a lame post about Groundhog Day. But that's just "phoning it in"; I am better than that, and you deserve more...

This morning I came into work expecting to eat a piece of cornbread for breakfast that I had purchased yesterday. Unfortunately, between the time I left the office and arriving today someone else decided that it looked like a tasty morsel and took it. I am really pissed. Yes, it was only a piece of cornbread, but much like the umbrella and broom stolen from my house, it's the loss of security that has me angry.

[UPDATE: I have just noticed that whoever took my cornbread opened the package in my office and left crumbs! Fuckers.]

My ire has been raised, six more weeks of winter will occur.

Eye Of The TigerTonight starts yet another season of Survivor. According to CBS, this will be Season Twelve. That's right, I still watch. In fact, tonight I'll be sharing some wine with my good friends Stacy and Phil watching the first episode.

Haters can hate, but Survivor was the first "RealityTV" to make it big. It deserves a lot of credit for the genre.

But Siriusly FolksBecause I will be watching Survivor tonight and because I forgot to set up my DVR to record Sirius Satellite Radio channel 26 (Dish Network channel 6026) I will unfortunately be missing tonight's version of "Matt Pinfield Plays Whatever The Fuck He Wants." Too bad, as I blogged about last month Pinfield plays some incredibly off-the-wall music which rarely sees airplay (even on the satellite networks). Tune in if you have the technology. You won't be disappointed.

Sex, Lies, And Battery LifeMy electronics don't seem to get nearly the battery life advertised by their manufacturers. Apple claims that my iPod should get "up to twenty hours" of music play. Hah! I am lucky if I get anywhere near half of that. My Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS states that when fully charged I will get twelve hours of battery life. However, it seems that I have to recharge it more often than that. I guarantee that I am not out running the battery down by running for twelve hours.

A busy day awaits me, including a trip to a doctor. Therefore, I must be on my way.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - a little run downCurrent Music - none, listening to the "Inside The Net" podcastWebsite Of The Day - I was going to select the Groundhog Day site (http://www.groundhog.org), but the site returns a 404 error. No site seen, does this mean that we are spared six more weeks of winter?

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Back At It

Gutter BallsYesterday's sick day from work turned into a really productive day. With the "warmer" weather and improving health I got on my roof in an attempt to blow the leaves off. Of course it couldn't be that simple. As I started walking around I noticed how clogged the gutters were. In spots there was so much gunk and water I had a virtual primordial stew. I swear that my cleaning of the gutters has stunted the evolution of a new life form.

February, Oh How I Hate You FebruaryNot even mentioning my hatred for that holiday which occurs on February 14th, February has always been a busy month for me. There are birthdays (brother, mom, and one of three college friends with whom I keep in contact). Until my dad's passing nine years ago, my parents' wedding anniversary was February 28th. And then there were all those mattresses I had to purchase on Presidents' Day.

Inching Closer. Never ReachingToday I was "late" getting up (read "I slept until 6:30am") so I decided to take my chances driving in. This decision was further supported by the fact that I'll be running tonight at George's.

Because of my departure time this morning I got stuck in a traffic jam caused by an accident on 400 near the toll both. While inching along I kept trying to catch up to this Saab so that I could check her out. As my car would get near my lane would slow and hers wouldn't; the Saab would move three car-lengths away. Rinse. Repeat. Seriously, am I the only one who notices this?

Of course even if I were to catch up nothing would happen. But it would at least allow me to put in one of those pathetic Craig's List "Missed Connections" ads.

To all my friends... If you ever hear me actually considering putting one of those ads on Craig's List, please slug me in the face.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...Current Mood - not bad, although I am sore in odd placesCurrent Music - none, listening to Adam Curry's "Daily Source Code" podcastWebsite Of The Day - The Consumerist is a great site for reading people's gripes with companies

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."